Abstract
The present article is based on research into the Holy Ghost feasts of the Azores among the Azorean diaspora in North America and in Brazil (São Luís MA). Its main objective is to analyze how feasting depends upon the work performed by many different people. These include the organizers of the feasts, ritual specialists, and people who are simply there to help. I stress three main characteristics of the “work of the feast”: it is collective; voluntary; and it is festive. In the final section, I address the contributions that analysis of the “work of the feast” can bring to anthropological discussion of topics such as the distinction between backstage and frontstage, or between work and feast. I also highlight the importance of the multiple agencies upon which the feast depends.
Keywords:
Feast; Work; Ritual; Performance